Jason Wilcox says club have a new recruitment process for bringing in players with the right character
Manchester United director of football Jason Wilcox has said the club are focused on building a team that values hard work and unity over star power.
Wilcox rejected the idea of assembling a team of “superstars”, saying their recruitment strategy is all about talenting the right mentality and work ethic instead of glamour.
“It’s not about putting the Harlem Globetrotters together,” said Wilcox, referring to the American exhibition basketball team.
“If I look at successful Man United teams, there were very functional players that would die for the badge, and there were some mavericks.
“You talk about Cantona, but when you hear anybody talk about him, he was an ultimate professional.”
United endured one of their worst league campaigns last term, finishing 15th, their lowest top-flight finish since 1974, and then ending the season by losing the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
In the summer since then, there has been a huge overhaul of both club facilities and players. Notable players such as Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Marcus Rashford left the club, while new signings Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens were brought in.
“Last year’s window was a lot more chaotic than this one,” said Wilcox. “This one was really calm. We knew the plan, we knew which players we were going to target, we had our lists, and we knew which areas of the pitch we needed to improve.
Explaining the recruitment process, Wilcox said: “These are continuous meetings with myself and Ruben [Amorim], with [director of recruitment] Chris Vivell and his team. We’re very clear on the profiles that we need. Then the scouts go into the market, we combine that with the data team, and they’ll just be in a constant dialogue.”
Wilcox praised the new signings as players who have quickly adapted to Amorim’s demands.
“This year we looked at Premier League-ready players,” Wilcox said. “Certainly with Bryan [Mbeumo] and Matheus [Cunha], we couldn’t take too much risk in this area.
“We needed players that we could plug in and play with little transition time. Senne [Lammens], we were always looking at goalkeepers who have got huge potential, and Senne was available. We decided to move but it wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction.
